Plymouth Prowler - History, Major Flaws, & Why It Got Cancelled (1997-2002) - FLAWLESS? 

Amazing video. Technically there are actually no flaws to the Plymouth Prowler 😍😍

The 1997 Prowler was a fun project to work on in the late 90s. I worked for a Tier 1 supplier that produced the lights for the vehicle (Company name at the time was Lescoa in Grand Rapids, MI). It was one of the first projects I did in automotive engineering. I was responsible for every exterior light except the headlight (turn signal/back up indicator, side marker, tail/brake light, CHMSL (center high mount stop light), and license plate lights). The headlight was built by Lescoa as well, but a different engineer was leading that project because of the complexity. Those projector beam lenses are heavy, and we needed a casting to hold them and take the heat that the bulbs produced. I still smile whenever I see one of those cars on the road.

In the late 90's I went to a plumbing service call for a woman for a minor repair. When she opened the garage door there was a Prowler inside, I asked her if she would give me a short ride when I was done. She obliged, it was a fun experience and the car felt peppy. I'm glad I asked!

I think it was a huge mistake to cancel the Prowler. All they had to do was put a V8 and a manual in it and it would have sold like hot cakes. I intend to own one one day.

I have always wanted to see one build as a drift car. would be so cool to see all that angle and suspension work while drifting.

I like the Prowler. It was the most unique car in 1997 when it came out and it's still real unique. I thought it was weird and a joke when I first saw it as a model car in 1997 but it really is a treasure America can purely say it made that's not like any other car out there. I want one just as a toy that I really can drive now LOL

Two words that should've been in the same sentence: Hellcat. Prowler.

I love mine - even during the pandemic shutdown when I'm in the garage I can't help thinking "that is a beautiful car" (99 Purple).

This is one of the only retro fad cars that actually looked cool

It's like a pt cruiser. But done right.

Gotta respect the thought and innovation that brought the Prowler to the market. I always liked its retro hot rod styling

Never heard the word "mausoleum" pronounced like "linoleum" before. Great video though.

If it had a V8 engine to match that muscle car styling it would have been smash hit and a future collectable. That’s it

I seen a Plymouth prowler in Texas it was purple and the secondary color was black I was wondering if they should bring it back

Your videos are always great. I remember thinking this was one of the coolest production cars when it came out, and whenever I see them at shows its one of the first I check out.

I just purchased a 2001 Black Tie Edition, I always wanted one of these cars, I just Love the way they look!

I never owned one, but I would like to!

The same 3.5L HO i have in my 04 300m special. I like the body style on the Prowler👍👍

i wish there was a channel like this for GM cars...😖

I used to see these all the time around those years but haven’t seen one since. Forgot all about them lol. As a kid I thought they were awesome

I know these are rebadged Mitsubishi’s, but how about a look into the Dodge Stealth or Chrysler Conquest?

It’s still one of the best looking cars ever built.

I have a 99 Prowler in Red and currently has only 23,000 miles, used mostly in the Spring and Summer, when I take it out boy does it get a lot of attention, from young kids to the older generation. There has been many times when other motorists get right beside me and rev up their engines hoping a race will ensue but I just have fun with it. Another really interesting thing other motorists do is get along side you just slightly and I know exactly what is happening, it is that they are perfectly positioned to view the Prowler at the perfect angle from the side. They tend to drive beside me for a good while until they have had enough, finally they will pass and while doing so their necks turn to the right to view the front part of the car, a smile is always present or a thumbs up. I could see the motorist perfectly through my outside rear view mirror as they look at the car and the view of the suspension. A beautiful car it is indeed, the power is plentiful I would say and I don’t need more than it has. I purchased some Continental Tires and the ride is much more enjoyable now. All in all, I love the Prowler.

Love ur videos! Keep making more! 🙂

Thanks for the nice video:.I have an 02 Inca Gold and my registration says it weighs 2,200 lbs, and it has 289 horsepower. Maybe it's just mine. I've had the car for about 7 years now and never had any trouble with it. This is my favorite all time car. I'm 6.3 and added a drivers seat lowering kit from "The Prowler Store" to mine. The factory had the drivers seat up on a box for no apparent reason other than to raise up short people, as it doesn't have a power seat to do it. The kit, just took out the box and lowered the drivers seat to match the passenger seat and it bolted right in. That fixed the headroom problems. Still a pain to get in and out of because the doors don't open far enough. However, my car is worth much more than I paid for it so I never installed Lambo door hinges on it. You have to butcher the car to do that, which kills the value. Even though I added over 15,000 dollars in chrome on it, it's all removable and no holes were drilled. You can see it here: facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1603817496302939&type=3

Crazy to think that the head gasket could go. They shared the same aluminum one the LH vehicles used. They also shared the transmission the LH had but ran it via a torque tube. Awesome video though. I love reading about these things considering I see them every year at the Chrysler Nationals

My stepdad had a '99, in purple with chrome wheels. Can confirm the suspension was rough, but sporty. Being 6ft, I had to ride with the top down. Fun and beautiful car, I bet he wishes he would have kept it now. :)

I remember a guy in our neighborhood bought two in the first year or so of production. He worked at the nearby Chrysler dealership (service department maybe?) and even had one of them delivered right to his house so that it would have as close to zero miles as possible. The other he drove pretty regularly. The “brand new” car was always in the garage covered up. When he moved they rolled the “new” Prowler onto a trailer again. Wonder where that car is now? This was Minnesota in the early 2000’s.

I have to admit that I fell in love with the styling when it first came out, but after looking at the specs, styling not withstanding, I thought they were a little too proud of the car, price wise. Where they lost me completely was when I discovered they didn't offer a manual transmission. To me, a car like that deserves a stick shift.

I think a hopped up version of the 4.0 straight six would have been a really cool option for a “traditional hot rod”.

Great details & informative, love the design but back then I did hear about some of the negatives, just saw one yesterday & considering buying one wanted to k ow more info, thanks

Great video as always 👍

The 255hp Prowler has wider rear wheels and tires than a 717hp Challenger Hellcat lol

It would be awesome if a Hemi would fit but I don’t think there’s room. I think you meant to say the dash bezel matches the “exterior “ color, not the interior color. Also you said tall drivers rubbed their heads with the top down(off) instead of up. Nice video! 👍🏻👍🏻🇺🇸🇨🇦

I've always liked the Plymouth Prowler, very cool looking car. I miss the Plymouth brand cars. You should do a video on the Chrysler LH cars.

Thanks for the video I've always liked the prowler I always thought it complimented the viper for the Plymouth side .

I remember seeing one of these on the showroom floor when I was a kid.

one of the most unique looking cars ever sad it didn't come to saudiarabia

Nice video. One of the most cool cars of all time!

Great video!!!The prowler is such a great car, I love mine!!!! Thanks.

We own a Black Tie Edition Prowler and it is the most fun, unique car we have owned. Hot rod body with a modern drivetrain. It evokes a reaction which is something that millions of drab suvs just don't do. It is as quick as we would ever need it to be and we have 2 other sedans so practicality isn't an issue.

Omg all the Hemi/Hellcat winga-dingas. It doesn't need it! It didn't have one available at the time anyways. My 2002 goes plenty fast, and is a ton of fun as is.

How did I not see this video Months ago??? Finally a Prowler Review!!!

A well-done documentary.

Yuri!!! Finally the Canadian car vid ppl unite! So..when is a full on hybrid/crossover video from The Straight Pipes and Marspeed, hmm?

I've always wanted one of these!!

I always wanted a purple Prowler with the trailer for the hell of it. Awesome, awesome car.

Very good review. I've liked the Prowler since its inception. I don't see them much and I live in Southern California. If the situation were right, I would own one.

I think the Prowler is really neat. I learned a lot about it.

yes i love it my black 1999 10 years later and i still love drving

'97, 0-60 mph in 7 second was solid. + my '93 LeBaron drop top is nowhere near that quick, I'm at 145 hp & like 9 seconds, but no matter, I always love driving her. The later '99-'02 5.8 second 0-60 times are flat out rocket territory for the day :) not bad for now, eps. given it was a 4 spd auto & not an 8 spd. if someone would plop a 3.6L Pentastar & 8 spd auto in this car (idk..the rear transaxle layout may be a toughy to overcome) or just the engine, it's be dang fast indeed.

I had always known that the Prowler was the worst selling car in American auto history, but never knew it was specially meant for research. The one big thing that disappointed most people was the performance, with it have a V6. I definitely do see that the Prowler is a car just for cruising and having fun, esp with the interior and trunk space. Select areas of the chassis and exterior seem to show quality and safety issues.

Even with the LH platform V6 ,this was so damn cool finally concept car looks in something that was an actual production car.

Yuri has entered the conversation.

Just bought a 99. Love it.

Great sticking to the fact! I’d like to see Cadillac ELR

I personally never seen a Prowler up close before. I use to see Prowlers on the public streets from time to time years ago, but you'd be hard-pressed to find one in the wild today. Just like the PT Crusier and the Chevy SSR, the Prowler was loathed by most car cultures.

Have a 1999 Black Prowler, This car makes 0 sense, But what fun to drive...! Love it...!

I don't even like Dodge/Chrysler. But iv enjoyed your channel for awhile now. Your doing a great job. Keep up the good work! 👍🤙

I attended Art Center College of Design, so this is pretty sweet, because I didn't know that Chip Foose was involved with this design, but I shouldn't be surprised, considering!

Hey Marspeed, have you seen my Prowler video series yet? Part 1 - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MC3juow-hj8.html Part 2 - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CR54dZLg8WY.html Part 3 - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-b9yIM3Ep-_M.html Part 4 - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-d0vSDoxJoAs.html Part 5 - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Q8vQV6NAG_s.html Part 6 - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eOHWQbU1UqE.html Part 7 - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AEFM4cgz_Rs.html Part 8 - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-k4xobyyDHJc.html Part 9 - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-q9BHcXaGamo.html Part 10- ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dqzodBSlyCQ.html

@Marspeed how do you find all this info? I'm very curious.

Owning a prowler is a Love / Hate relationship, but I love it so much I have two.

Wanted one of these so badly when they debuted. Weekend/road trip car. However, there was NO storage space. Couldn’t even accommodate a standard briefcase! That’s why they came out with the matching trailers! No dice for me.

I have always liked ans wanted one of these. Still looking for one but parts will be hard to find.

Gotta get this thing in purple..... So classic! 💜

It's the coolest car of the time, without any doubt, and maybe for decades to come. Too bad I can only afford the Hot Wheels versions LOL.

I remember being a kid when the first got introduced and saw it in the showroom where my Dad worked and was amazed by how it looked. I do miss when I saw Chrysler made allot of authentic vehicles to leave their legacy (when it was Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Plymouth days).

Who remembers the prowler from Friday after next

Always loved this car. I want one.

2:35 I see that NSX hiding on the left. 😂😍❤️

Hello! I have a prowler and the speedometer digital does not lite up. Any suggestions to where I can find service that will help fix or parts to prowler?? Thanks!

The original base price was advertised at a few pennies short of $38k. The first ones on the market were advertised by dealers at a substantial markup. I never saw one at less than $49,999 and it was a new prior year model . The dealer had it roped off like a World of Wheels show car. If you wanted to drive it, all you had to do was buy it first. No thank you very much. It didn't surprise me when Plymouth went out of business.

The greatest crossover ever 😱😱😱

Looks pretty 👌

14:40 "Irresponsible project" ??? Ahhmmm..you mean a study in aluminum use in vehicles and one of the coolest cars ever..boosting Plymouths panache? "Irresponsible". Obvo Tom Gale was drunk or high here, lol.

I love the look of these things! My dream Prowler would be one with a HellCat Hemi V8 in it...

Still surprised it didn't have a longer production run with better practical designs. Still, it will be an icon for the ages. A converted electric version will be amazing down the road.

I loved the exterior styling, thought it was cool. I didn't know it was an exercise in aluminum. I thought the 1999 and on aluminum V6 was more than adequate performance wise. There was a tv show, where the hero drove the Prowler, called, Nightman. Overall great video.

I'd love to own a Prowler, but I'd definitely swap the motor and trans out for either a Ford Coyote 5.0 w/a Tremec 6spd, or a Ford Ecoboost twin turbo v6 w/a 6spd Tremec....what can I say? I like my cars to fire off when I turn the key, or push the ignition start button, sue me ....🤷🏻‍♂️

GREAT VIDEO !!!!! I WOULD LOVE TO OWN ONE!!!! THEN MAKE SOME UPGRADES!!!! THANKS FOR SHARING!!!!

As A 2002 Prowler Owner I Can Tell You That If You Power Break This Thing On Blacktop You Will Smoke Those Oversize Tires , From A Dead Stop Also On Blacktop You Might Get Some Wheel Spin On (To The Floor) Acceleration Plus A Wheel Chirp Going Into 2nd Gear. That Being Said Remember That This Is A 2000lb Car So It Is Accelerating At A Fast Rate. Now With The Indy Style Suspension And The Front And Rear Weight racial The Posted Curve Speed Is Just A Suggestion (Baring Any Tar Snakes Or Uneven Road Surface) You Can Easly Take That Curve At Twice The Suggested Speed ( It's A Real Rush ) The Exhaust Sound Is Not Your Run Of The Mill Sound No It Will Not Sound Like A V8 But Respectable. Would I Rather Have A Big Block 4 Speed With Open Headers? But My Prowler Did Colect 11 Trophies Last Year At Car Shows

This aluminium experiment went sort of like this: as soon as the car manufacturers found out that the aluminum bodies don't rust, they stop making them. Why would you want to build something that could possibly kill your sales because it don't rust out? Btw, Ford did the same thing.

I wish they had done an SRT6 version, turbocharged and intercooled. That would have been amazing! I'm glad Chrysler made them, but at 6'4" I guess I would choose something else.

I have to question, how much would it of sold if it had a manual optional? Yes it is a cruising machine but a manual can work too, and it definitely would of helped

On the '90s sitcom Home Improvement, Tim Allen/Taylor build a 1933 Ford Hot Rod which he still owns today

Sweet looking car🔥.

I have a prowler and I drive mine, , its a great car wasn't meant to be a race car, I have not had any real issues, it still turns heads and people are always asking questions and taking pictures.. people who say it should of had a v8 ,what was the average hp of cars in its time and with no weight it runs great,

I had a business acquaintance that had 98’ Prowler. I personally like the car purely for the styling. My biggest complaint was as mentioned a Chrysler V6 (super unreliable motor IMO), and an automatic transmission. If I were to own one it would be solely for weekend fun like any vintage Hot Rod.

14:26 All HUGE due respect to Tom Gale (who shudda succeeded Lee Iaccoca!!!!!!!!!!) There is no way the Prowler would've been as good with a V8..the 5.9L Magnum was Mopars top V8 at the time with similar hp as the 3.5L V6..which at the time was THE highest hp mass production V6 on earth. A high hp (It was then..2000 is NOT 2020...soooo not fair to the car..trolls spoke of the car negatively..but who cares what they say?) V6 was the total plan for the car and..years ahead of it's time there, as well as the extensive use of aluminum.

They just destroyed that buried Prowler. No way it's not flooded😔

always regretted not buying one i bought the 300M instead but always wanted the prowler as a second car.

I have an 02 and you have the paint numbers wrong. Your chart was the early before model year chart. Meanwhile, Chrysler was racing to develop a dual color pearl paint, and they perfected it during the Prowler run. There weren't 300 Red pearl cars there were 600 and only 289 Inca Golds to balance production. I know, I have one. The problem with the Red, is in the Sun, it's orange, making it look like a Hot Wheels car. Fine if you like that, but it makes it look like a toy. The Inca Gold glows gold giving it a richer look. And that's what I like. The black or Navy show all the dust and are really hot in the bright Summer. (I've had one black car in my life; never again) I wanted a light color that looked rich. Also, the reason it rode so rough is because it had run flat tires. I put Continental Extreme Contacts on it and it was like night and day. (you can't even buy the original Good Year Eagles for it anymore) Still, there are some really bad streets around here I won't take it down. So, to make up for the standard sidewalls, I put a Continental blow out kit in the trunk like all the exotics have. And to the wishers down below; it's worth double what I paid for it. My very own street legal Hot Wheels car. Yeah it's kewl. Really nice video, thanks! Incidentally; Chrysler didn't make this car. It was made by Mercedes and hand made by Chrysler at their skunk works in Detroit. Just like the brand new Viper. They were supposed to be a set for 100 grand. Viper stripped to the bone for you when you want to get wild, and the Prowler, all decked out with everything on it, when you took you girl out. That was the original intent for both those cars. The Viper didn't even have power windows. And also, my 02 says 2,200 lbs on the registration, not 2,800 and will blow off a stock C-7 Corvette. Under horsepowered never comes to mind.

Fab video, Marspeed. Much thnx. Be safe, be blessed. Btw have you done the Lil Red Express pickup yet? If not, "Yes, pls". lol..plus add in the Dodge Warlock pickup & maybe a couple other neat 70's early 80's trucks plus the..was it one yr there was a Dakota version of the 'Lil Red'..may have just been a stickered up regular Dak, idk...so many huge fans of them about yet. ..not as huge as the ppl that complain about the Prowler being uncomfortable, though Ahaha!

I own #7 . It currently has 13k miles on it and has been in my family since it was brand new. It was in Michigan, Florida and now in Las Vegas. My dad and I bonded over this car almost my whole life until he passed. If anyone ever has any questions let me know!

All this aluminum and then the srt8 and hellcat platform is mainly steal and heavy as hell. Imagine the srt8 lineup with aluminum making the already fast cars even faster.

I wonder how this would've been had they put the 5.9 v8 from the dakota/ Durango in these. Or maybe that with a turbo.

The Plymouth Prowler is a super unique car. There was nothing like it on the road in 1997 and there really isn't anything on the road like it in 2020, unless you consider the 3 wheeled Polaris Slingshot to be comparable.

_Really great looking car that when sold new, had 'market value adjustment' being added on to the MSRP sticker. Was it worth it? Not really, because the car was doomed with the V6, and the Chrysler parts bin. After the car went away, another major auto manufacturer created a vehicle that had the same type of 'retro' cache(but with quickness), a Chevy SSR!(Thankfully many parts used in the vehicle to the discerning customer's eyes were inclusive to the hardtop/convertible truck)._

Bring this back please!